


Endless Summer

by sunaddicted



Series: Tumblr Prompts 2018 [11]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Day At The Beach, Dorks in Love, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Lack of Communication, Light Angst, M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 03:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14251764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunaddicted/pseuds/sunaddicted
Summary: “Alright, I’ve got him” Edward reassured, looking into Oswald’s eyes from atop Martin’s head.What did they look like to a stranger’s eye?





	Endless Summer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [happygolovely](https://archiveofourown.org/users/happygolovely/gifts).



> @happygoloony asked for Nygmobblepot+the distant noise of traffic, sleeping in the sun, blowing a raspberry on someone's stomach

_Endless Summer_

Oswald hated everything about going to the beach; from the sand that managed to get stuck in the most improbable places - especially because of the sunscreen that seemed to have been designed to feel like thick glue - to the glaring of the sun over the frothing peaks of the waves that hurt his sensitive sea-green eyes.

Not to mention the fact that with his complexion - pale and freckled - no matter how careful he was, he always ended up as red as a lobster and there wouldn’t be an inch of his skin that didn’t hurt.

Yes, Oswald had been quite happy to avoid the beach for the past twenty years or so of his life - once he had persuaded his mother that he really would rather not be subjected to such a subtle form of torture: he didn’t care about being tanned, didn’t find a particular pleasure in swimming in the sea, didn’t have any friends to play beach volley with.

He would have kept avoiding the place, hadn’t his son and Edward Nygma ganged up on him - he barely could resist them separately: together, they were a force to be reckoned with.

Edward had come in his office after an intense afternoon of tutoring Martin - no matter how precarious their relationship was, Oswald only wanted the best for his son and was there someone better than a genius for Martin’s education? - and had sat in front of his desk, pouring himself long-gone cold tea and chattered about the boy’s progress while he worked: in a moment of weakness, Oswald could admit that those little encounters filled his heart with a warmth that could only be hope.

It had been a particularly peaceful afternoon, with the rare sunlight slipping inside the office from the open window, bringing with it a smell that was unmistakably Gotham’s - smog and salt and disinfectant that had been sprayed on the streets during the night by the city’s cleaning staff - and the faint noise of traffic, a cacophony that didn’t seem to be able to really penetrate the house.

Living in the manor had been quieter, but Oswald had found that living in what had been Sofia’s place - and hadn’t that been a satisfaction? Buying a home that had been in her family for decades, a pale ghost of a revenge he had given up for the man stirring sugar in his cup - was more practical: the city was quivering like a naked nerve ending and Oswald needed to be at the epicentre, if he didn’t want to risk losing his grip on the underworld.

It already was difficult, what with the Legion of Horribles running around like a headless chicken, following Jerome’s deranged dreams of chaos.

Lee and Edward - the Queen and King of the Narrows and yes, that title always made him greet his teeth as jealousy viciously twisted his insides, especially when he was reminded that they were an item now - didn’t make things any easier.

Oswald felt like he was walking on a tightrope, the city spread beneath his feet like a gaping maw waiting to devour him alive.

He had been working on some numbers, absentmindedly humming in acknowledgement of what the other man was telling him; he hadn’t even noticed that Edward had fallen silent, too focused on trying to understand how he was supposed to find the money to get Fries and Scarecrow a lab _each_ , until the man had asked him if he ever went to the beach.

Oswald had snorted at the question: even if he had enjoyed it, did he look like someone who had the time to waste the day away in such a manner?

He didn’t.

Oswald sighed and put a cigarette between his lips, stretching in the chair under the shadow of the huge beach umbrella that, like all their supplies scattered over the sand, was brand new.

“That’s a nasty habit you’ve picked up” Edward commented, even as he bent down to cup his hands around the lighter.

And while Oswald appreciated the help, he really wished that Edward wouldn’t stand so close to him when he was wearing _Speedos_ \- emerald green, tight Speedos.

He _hated_ them.

“I’m stressed” Oswald answered, taking a long drag that burned its way down his throat “And I can’t drink as much as I used to with Martin around” really, smoking was the lesser of two evils.

“If you took more days off, you wouldn’t be so stressed”

That was easier said than done, clearly. It wasn’t as if Oswald didn’t wish he had more time to spend with Martin, to be as present in his life as his mother had been for him “Nag your girlfriend” he retaliated “I thought doctor Thompkins was supposed to come too”

“She’s not my girlfriend”

He still swapped spit with her though, didn’t he? Oswald nervously tapped the ashes in a plastic cup “My point still stands”

Edward rolled his eyes “I didn’t invite her” he admitted “Martin asked me if we could go together, the three of us - I didn’t think he would be comfortable with Lee joining”

The only thing that came to Oswald’s mind, it was that his son was devious and playing matchmaker - and wasn’t that a proof of how pathetic he was? Even his son - a nine year old - could see that he still had feelings for the ridiculous beanstalk towering over him “Okay” he shrugged, not knowing what he was supposed to say.

“Why don’t you come to play with us in the water? You’ve been sitting under the shade for the whole morning” Edward pointed out, nodding towards Martin who was splashing away amidst the gentle waves, clearly having the time of his life; while he didn’t like children in general, Edward couldn’t help feeling like his heart blossomed open at the sight of the boy’s happiness.

It made up for the tense air he could breathe between them; Oswald had said that he trusted him - had implied that they were _friends_ \- but whenever they were close together, Edward knew there was a barrier up between them: an invisible wall that he didn’t seem able to push down, no matter what he tried.

Oswald held up his cigarette “I’m smoking”

Edward huffed and leaned it, swiftly plucked the cigarette out of the other’s fingers and stubbed it out in the plastic cup “Not anymore” he offered Oswald a hand, fingers wiggling impatiently “Come on"

Annoyance flickered over his features but Oswald tried to keep his temper in check - for Martin: the boy deserved a quiet afternoon and he wasn’t going to ruin it with a meltdown “Fine” Oswald dropped his sunglasses on the small folding table and he ignored Edward’s hand, even if pushing himself up from the chair and limping on the sand exactly wasn’t a walk in the park.

The only saving grace was the soothing feeling of the cool water rushing to cover his feet.

And Martin’s excitedly wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Give me a second” Oswald chuckled, running his fingers through his son’s wet curls to comb them out of his face, critically studying the healthy warmth his cheeks had acquired “Hmm more sunscreen for you later”

Martin scowled and shook his head, quickly slipping back into the water: sunscreen was gross.

“You can’t stay in the water forever to avoid it!” Oswald shouted after him, a fond sigh escaping his lips.

Despite seeing plenty of such domestic scenes in the past few weeks - Oswald was an affectionate father and Martin an emotionally-starved child - Edward always was a little surprised to see the other man so at ease around the boy.

So effortlessly.

He remembered that, once upon a time, he had been the focus of Oswald’s nurturing nature: he had been the first person to ever care about him in such a way, to pamper him and make him feel wanted.

Needed.

Loved.

Looking back at their shared past, Edward had to admit that a part of him had always known about Oswald’s feelings; he had willingly ignored them, unable to sort out his own emotions and afraid of their dynamic changing - afraid of losing the intimacy of their friendship, something he had only dreamed about having while growing up.

He regretted it.

Edward stepped close to Oswald, wading through the cool water; the temperatures weren’t really _that_ pleasant yet, it was a little early to be already swimming into the sea - but the beach was blissfully empty, almost as if the Gothamites were afraid of enjoying the sunshine.

Martin’s wet hand tapping his warm shoulder shook Edward out of his thoughts and he looked down at the boy “Do you want to take a dive?” already lowering himself in the water to allow him to climb on his shoulders, hands going around Martin’s ankles to keep him steady as he straightened up.

“Please, be careful”

Martin rolled his eyes at Oswald and shifted his feet, trying not to hurt Edward as he found his balance.

“He’s going to be fine, don’t worry”

How he was supposed not to worry when his son was planning on taking a dive so close to the shore, Oswald didn’t know but he crossed his arms and tried to relax; he anxiously watched Edward push himself out of the water, giving Martin enough momentum to make a good jump.

The knot in his stomach dissolved only when Martin resurfaced, gasping with silent laughter that twisted his whole face, and Oswald smiled at his son when the boy looked at him in search of approval “Maybe we’ve found the right sport for you”

 _That_ had been a bit of an ongoing battle between Martin and Oswald; Edward understood both of them, really: the other man was right in stating that Martin needed to socialise with his peers in some manner - since the boy was homeschooled - while Martin seemed content to stay at home, surrounded by adults and books and firearms he wasn’t allowed to touch.

 _Yet_.

Edward was pretty sure he had heard Oswald promise Martin that he would teach him how to shoot in a couple of years.

He didn’t know whether he dreaded the moment or not, to be honest: watching Martin cling like a limpet to Oswald’s chest while the man lazily swam, Edward wished that the boy could stay innocent and cheerful forever.

A utopia - Gotham devoured innocence, feasted upon it.

“Edward, help me”

Immediately Edward’s attention snapped to Oswald and he smiled at the sight of Martin sleeping nestled in the crook of his father’s neck “Finally burnt out?” He joked, hands already reaching out to cradle Martin’s back “Do you want me to pick him up?”

“Please. I’m afraid of tripping and hurting him” Oswald sighed, kissing his son’s forehead in a soothing manner as he tried to get his arms off from around his neck while Edward worked on Martin’s legs tightly wrapped around his waist.

“Alright, I’ve got him” Edward reassured, looking into Oswald’s eyes from atop Martin’s head.

What did they look like to a stranger’s eye?

Like a family?

He pushed the thought down: he had lost that chance, things could never go back to what they had been before Oswald’s jealousy had destroyed their bond.

Edward tightened his grip on Martin and walked up to where they had laid out their towels, lowering the kid down before he started patting him dry so that he wouldn’t get cold, while Oswald joined them at a careful pace.

“Put some of this on his face” Oswald said, tossing Edward the bottle of sunscreen before he let himself fall on the towel next to them, shivering at the feeling of the cooling droplets of water being warmed up by the sun beating down on his back “I can’t remember the last time I exercised so much”

“Barring fighting for your life, you mean?” Edward joked, smearing sunscreen on Martin’s chest too - just to be safe.

“Barring that, yeah” Oswald nodded, cheek mashed against his crossed wrists “You’re good with him, you know?”

“He’s easy to interact with: clever, sweet, not particularly prone to tantrums..” Edward didn’t think he had ever seen Martin throw one “I'm…”

Oswald waited for the other man to keep talking “You’re-?” He prompted, voice gentle - trying to let Edward know that he was listening.

Edward took a deep breath and moved to sit by Oswald’s side, hands swiping down the expanse of his back; he felt Oswald’s muscle tense under his fingers, clenched tight as if expecting to be stabbed in the back “I’m trying to be good to you too” he admitted, biting down on his lower lip.

In that moment, Oswald was grateful that Edward couldn’t see his face because his eyes started to sting and fill to the brim with tears he couldn’t shed: it already was bad enough that Edward could surely feel his heart hammer away in his ribcage “I know”

It wasn’t Edward’s fault if he couldn’t fall out of love.

“You’re very distant with me”

Oswald had to be if he didn’t want to make a fool out of himself.

“I thought… you said you trust me”

“I do” he trusted Edward with his life, with his business, with his _son_ \- he just couldn’t trust him with his heart, still shattered into pieces that didn’t seem to want to be mended.

There was no using in pushing it, Edward realised: Oswald would always give him the same answer, confess his trust but never really granting it to him.

They weren’t a family.

Anger twisted in his insides, made his bones ache as he leaned back and took his hands off of Oswald skin, resisting the urge to knead those cramped muscles.

Anger towards Oswald, who made him feel so confused - elated one second and terribly scared the following one, an emotional rollercoaster that left him breathless and with a pounding head.

Anger towards himself, for being so ridiculously attached to the other man and the kid sleeping in the sun, snoring softly.

He should have been imaging a family with Lee - no matter that he knew she didn’t love him.

That he knew he didn’t love _her_.

Edward didn’t know if he loved Oswald either - didn’t even allow himself to think about it - but the truth was that when his mind wandered towards the idea of family, he could only picture the other man to his side.

“I miss you”

_I miss us._

Oswald gulped down against the knot in his throat and turned his head to look at Edward, slumped in the sand with one hand thrown over his face. Tentatively, he reached out and brushed his fingers over the back of his hand, digits trembling across the bridge of his knuckles “We need time”

_I need time._

At least the other man acknowledged that they hadn’t found their footing yet. Edward turned his hand and trapped Oswald’s fingers in his own, squeezing them gently.

Silently pleading Oswald not to let go.

* * *

Edward conspiratorially put a finger over his mouth even if Martin’s laughter would never be anything but silent.

In his sleep, Oswald had turned on his back and it was painfully clear that, at some point, he had slung his arm across his stomach: pale in a the middle of red sun-kissed skin, there was there was the imprint of Oswald’s hand.

The other man was going to hate that.

Martin nodded seriously but there still was mischief in his eyes - with his curls a wild mess stiffened by salt and looking as if he was ready to pounce on a prey, Edward could already see the teenager he would grow into: the Penguin’s heir.

He burst into laughter when Martin jumped on Oswald’s chest, startling his father awake.

“Holy..! Martin!” Oswald scolded even as he closed his arms around his son and flipped them over, digging his fingers in his son’s sides, relentlessly tickling him “You.. little.. pest!“ he grinned before he bent down and blew a raspberry on Martin’s stomach, making the kid kick and squirm around.

It was a scene that Edward had never seen during his own childhood, such a playful display of affection.

It gave him hope.

It only made those inexplicable feelings for Oswald grow.

Edward joined them, tickling them both until he found himself on his back with Martin sitting on top of him and Oswald’s fingers digging under his armpit, all the air in his lungs leaving in fits of giggles that made him feel light-headed.

“Ask for mercy” Oswald intimated.

“N-never!”

Oswald arched an eyebrow, amused by Edward’s carefree laughter as he kept tickling him, tears streaming down his cheeks “I’m not going to stop any time soon” he warned.

“Please. Please, stop” Edward started pleading after a while, admits bursts of laughter and panting breaths “Oh god, please” he reached out and tugged Oswald down, holding him to his side to make sure he didn’t start again; it was hard, getting his breath back with Martin curled on his chest.

After a little squirming, Oswald settled in the other’s half-embrace - too tired after a day spent at the beach to resist Edward.

He deserved basking in the illusion, just for one afternoon.

“I love you”

“What?” Oswald blinked up at Edward, ignoring the excited look on Martin’s face.

Edward shrugged, hand caressing Martin’s curls; he couldn’t bury his head in the sand any longer, had to face his feelings: he had never felt as happy as he did in that exact moment “I love you”

“But Lee.. “

Before Oswald could say anything more, Edward tugged the other man up and planted a kiss on his lips, keeping it chaste for the sake of the kid between them “I love you”

Maybe he was dreaming.

He didn’t care.

“I love you too”


End file.
